Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a regular feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles. Share these quotes with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
Climate change, pollution, renewable energy, sustainable habitats, environmentally-aware brands, and the rise of green entrepreneurship have grabbed the headlines this year.
Drawing on our coverage of entrepreneurship and the environment this year, we present 70 uplifting quotes on the challenges ahead of us, and the opportunities within. See also our pick of quotes on World Oceans Day and World Environment Day.
We have divided this compilation of 70 quotes into eight categories: The big picture, Entrepreneurship, Consumer attitudes, Brands, Plastic and waste, Habitats and mobility, The India story, and The road ahead.
YourStory thanks all social entrepreneurs and environmental activists for their tireless and inspiring work towards creating a better world. We wish all founders and readers a Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year ahead in 2023!
The big picture
The climate sector presents an investment opportunity of more than $1 trillion in South Asia. – Sridhar Narayan, GEF Capital Partners
If more women work in the renewable energy sector, it can help with two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): gender equality and environmentally friendly economic growth. – Siddhi Desai, Navitas Solar
We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. – Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Sustainability is a multimillion-dollar canvas in India, but the demand gap, not just in India, is widening. – Satheesh Kumar, Enzen
Biomimicry approach has helped industries and businesses build innovations that are not only sustainable but also profitable, while mitigating risk and reducing costs. – Prashant Dhawan, Biomimicry India
You are what you eat; organic and sustainable farming is a need of the hour. – Malvika Gaekwad, Humpy Farms
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship powered by innovation has huge potential to address the problem of plastic waste and create impact. – Smita Rakesh, Social Alpha
Entrepreneurship will be a key cornerstone of a sustainable economy. – Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Hub71
We need to push entrepreneurial thinking towards enabling the youth to work for our rural India and become climate warriors. – Manav Subodh,1M1B
Startups can also play a role in increasing the availability and deployment of green finance, by replicating the success of fractional real estate platforms – and shifting focus towards green assets such as solar and wind plants. – Anjali Bansal, Avaana Capital
The Indian startup ecosystem is seeing an emergence of many enterprises focusing on solving climate challenges. – Prashanth Venkatesh, Hindustan Unilever
Together with startups and smaller businesses, large corporations must endeavour to develop sustainable packaging. Specialist businesses developing superior solutions can greatly aid other FMCG businesses. – Vikash Kumar Agarwal, Go Grocer
Companies making pro-environment investments today will reap tremendous positive opportunities tomorrow. – Sohil Wazir, Blue Tribe Foods
Consumer attitudes
We are witnessing more and more ordinary citizens being vocal about climate action. It is creating a ripple effect to drive larger, systemic changes. – Prachi Shevgaonkar, Cool The Globe
A recent study states that almost 70 percent of the millennials in India are ready to pay a premium for a brand if they feel that the brand invests in sustainable practices. – Appadurai A, HP
Gen Z and millennials know what climate anxiety feels like; they understand that there is a link between the rising pollution, heat, humidity, and stress that has affected their scalp, skin, and hair. – Rhea Shukla, The Switch Fix
The demand for sustainable fashion is increasing tremendously and we see bamboo fibers replacing others due to its performance and ecological benefits. – Nihar Gosalia, Mush
The clean beauty philosophy is quickly catching on, and newer D2C brands are entering the market. – Merin Liza Jacob, Green And Beige
There is a huge consumer appetite for premium, technologically advanced and sustainable intimate wear. – Harshit Vij, FREECULTR
As a trendsetting industry, the global fashion industry must serve as a role model, and as informed consumers, we must support them in their endeavour to build a sustainable environment. – Jyoti Bowen Nath, Claricent Partners
Vegan leather, essentially a polymer, which is a near substitute for leather. It is both cruelty-free and environmentally friendly. It has leather-like grains and texture and yet causes no harm to livestock. – Mansi Gambhir, THE GUSTO
With the rise in environmental consciousness people are making more sustainable choices, and this includes dietary choices. This is reflected in the rise in the number of flexitarians all over the world. – Sohil Wazir, Blue Tribe Foods
Responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism is the global need of the hour. – DS Prashant and Thejus Joseph, FiiRE
Unfortunately, the term ‘sustainability’, while vital, is sometimes construed as being accessible only to the affluent. – Abhinayah Sundaramoorthy, The Yellow Dwelling
Everyone should have equal access to sustainable products in order to be able to inculcate sustainability in their lifestyle. – Divya Arora, KIKGERM
Brands
As a brand, you need to focus on reducing the carbon footprint, reusable packaging, eliminating plastic to cater to the new user base that prioritises sustainability. – Praful Poddar, Shiprocket
Products and brands have evolved to cater to consumers who also want sustainability as part of their life. – Surbhi Bhatia, The Mom Store
Building sustainable brands is the dual responsibility of investors and brands alike. – Kanwaljit Singh, Fireside Ventures
Once a bigger brand goes plastic neutral, it starts becoming industry standard. – Bhagyashree Bhansali Jain, The Disposable Company
As a brand, you need to focus on reducing the carbon footprint, reusable packaging, eliminating plastic to cater to the new user base that prioritises sustainability. – Praful Poddar, Shiprocket
Many brands nowadays prefer vendors that follow sustainability measures, and have been audited for the same. – Vinay Thadani, Vishal Fabrics
Show your customer what is at stake if they do not go sustainable — the detrimental impact of using chemical-made products on the health of both people and the environment. – Aditya Ruia, Beco
Plastic and waste
When we look at everything that we use, there is some form of plastic or element that isn’t environmentally friendly. – Aditya Ruia, Beco
There are not many means of recycling plastic toys at present. Parents also aren’t aware of how they could dispose of these toys. – Siyona Vikram, Little WISE club
It is very difficult to change a habit, especially in India. There has to be consistent efforts to reduce plastic usage. – Viren Khuller, Global Dent Aids
Alternative packaging cost is very high. The cost could go up by 15%. Also, if you replace plastic straws with paper straws, then you have to cut trees. – Vikas Kumar, Go Grocer
Informal waste pickers play a vital role in collecting and recycling plastic and PET waste generated in the city [Bengaluru]. – Vani Murthy
There is immense potential for social impact in the waste management and sanitation sector in India, however, there are evident gaps in terms of financial support and personalized professional mentorship arising as roadblocks. – Mohammad Azhar, Villgro
Solid waste management is a pressing civic and environmental challenge in India. – Aruneema Singh, GIZ India
All that waste we produce as a country can be converted into usable gas, and India can take the lead on that. – Siddharth R Mayur, H2E Power
Waste for one is gold for another. – Manan Khanna, DEassy
90% of jewellery in India is made using gold. Over 20,000 kg of toxic cyanide and mercury waste is generated for a single ring. – Vivek Ramabhadran, Aulerth
There is no concrete solution to stubble management. Farmers have mere 10 days to clear the waste and prepare the field for the next crop. – Varinder Singh, GFF Innovations
Only 4% of waste in low-income countries is recycled, compared to over a third in high-income countries, including composting their waste. – Annanya Agarwal, Runaya Group
Less chemical and floral waste means cleaner rivers. – Alia Bhatt
Habitats and mobility
Everybody today is focussed on sustainable roads. With the kind of climate change the world is seeing, people are now more conscious about using better technology so that carbon emission can be reduced. – Sourabh Kumar, PotHoleRaja
Aligned to India’s green transition mission, the electric two-wheeler industry is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. – Padmanabh Sinha, NIIFL
Electric mobility is the panacea for the sustainable transportation needs, there is an urgent need for consistent investments in the sector. – Ankit Kedia, Capital-A
Electrifying transportation is a key driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our cities. – Dhanpal Jhaveri, EverSource
The vehicle emissions will keep increasing; the only way to reduce and stop that is to have an EV fleet. – Punit Goyal, BluSmart
Mumbai has enormous potential to become a super solar city, and the government and citizens should invest in solar energy projects. – Shantanu Sonaikar, Pi Green Innovations
The architecture industry is adopting the ‘Go Green’ method because of growing concerns for the environment and sustainability. – Mukesh Kwatra, SmilingTree
Aquaculture is all about culturing your water, and we need to build sustainability in the entire ecosystem. – Rajamanohar ‘Raj’ Somasundaram, Aquaconnect
A transition to clean, green, and healthy living conditions will require significant financial investments, strategic alliances, and ongoing community support. – Shantanu Sonaikar, Pi Green Innovations
The India story
In a country like India, which has 10 out of 15 most polluted cities in the world, it becomes even more important that people change their attitude towards nature, at micro and macro levels. – Upasana Koli, WOTR
The coming decade will be critical for India’s growth aspirations given its population size and dwindling environment with rising air pollution and deforestation. – Rushikesh Chavan, The Habitats Trust
Fighting air pollution is everybody’s responsibility. – Prashanth Prakash, Accel
To combat the issue of air pollution and climate change, it is imperative to foster cost-effective and cutting-edge technological innovations which can be rapidly deployed and scaled in our cities. – Kunal Kumar, MoHUA
CSR will play a key role in India meeting sustainable development goals (SDG) by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2070. – Anas Rahman Junaid, Hurun India
To stay competitive globally, Indian firms are seeing the necessity to examine their own value chains, due to the significant role that supply chains play in climate action and emissions. – Bala Srinivasa, Arkam Ventures and Vineet Agarwal, SG Analytics
The focus of the government so far has been on accessibility and inclusion. It must now move on to address issues related to sustainability. – Vaishali Samanta, Veddis Foundation
By 2035, India’s urban population is projected to grow to 675 million, necessitating climate-smart cities. – Anjali Bansal, Avaana Capital
The current energy crisis in India is caused by India’s significant dependence on imports for coal and oil and the severe shortage in the supply of coal. – Kishan Karunakaran, Buyofuel
Decarbonising electricity is critical: the power sector is already India’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. – Anjali Bansal, Avaana Capital
The road ahead
Every brand that cares is going sustainable. – Anjana Pasi, MiniKlub
Young people are the leading voice to make the world more sustainable. – Shoko Noda, UNDP India
The environment has found a new guardian in the younger generation. – Manav Subodh, 1M1B
On a global scale, university campuses are anticipated to act as an experimental paradigm for sustainability. – Air Commodore Kamal Singh (Retired) AVSM
Climate justice is about not making the person that didn’t create the problem pay for it, but incentivising them to become the off-setters. – Ajaita Shah, Frontier Markets
The concept of plastic credit has the potential to accelerate recycling activities and strengthen the ecosystem. – Shailendra Singh Rao, Creduce
There must be a change in how money is perceived, cultural changes are required, and, overall, an alteration is needed to make our lifestyles more sustainable and planet-friendly. – Upasana Koli, WOTR
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).
